Tennessee Stud
by Scoobert0
Summary: AU where Dean is a horse trainer at a prestigious training barn and Castiel is the new riding instructor. Eventual Destiel.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: ** The title is a song by Johnny Cash, cause the chorus made me think of Dean. So this is my first attempt at an AU and I'm a little anxious about it. Got the idea for it while I was working my horses the other day and it wouldn't leave me alone. I know I used a lot of horse terms while writing, so I'm going to add a "dictionary" of sorts at the end of the chapter for the terms I think will be the most confusing. Since this story deals with horses, let me know if I'm using too many horse terms. I've been informed by friends that I start speaking "Horse-ease" when I talk about horses.

And if you know anything about the Morgan show world, you might catch some references to real life things dealing with that. I'll shut-up now. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, which is sad cause all the boys would look super sexy in breeches and polos…

**Warning:** Un-beat'd, all mistakes are my own and I apologize in advance.

Dean Winchester drove his classic '67 Chevy Impala up the long driveway leading to Singer Stables. The path was bordered by White fencing and he could make out the shapes of several horses grazing at the back of the pastures. Pulling up behind the barn, he parked the car and rested the back of his head against the top of the seat. As much as he loved his job, he still hated having to come into work on his days off. Damn clients coming in from out of town, even if one of them was his brother. With a sigh, he grabbed his coffee thermos and opened the door to haul himself out of the car.

Walking into the training office, he stopped to check the morning charts. He sipped at his coffee while noting that one of his English horses had thrown a shoe in his stall the night before.

"Great, just great." He muttered to himself, throwing the charts down on the table. Glancing at the notice board, he was relieved to see that the farrier was scheduled to come this morning. He jotted down a note for him to come see him first. He refilled his mug with some of the coffee one of the grooms had made. Fresh coffee in hand, he walked into the barn and down the main aisle. He smiled as he walked up to a stall halfway down the row. The brass name plate read **Celtic Knot Tom Foolery** in bold print, with "Tommy" in a smaller print under it. An added plaque declared that the horse in the stall was the 2010 3 Yr Old Western Pleasure World Champion.

A small, refined head peeked out from the open top of the French door. The horse watched Dean approach with large and expressive eyes through the long forelock that was spread over his face.

"Morning Tommy boy, how's my favorite boy today?" Dean asked, holding his hand up for the young stallion to sniff. Tom was the colt Dean had picked out for Sam and Jessica after Jess convinced her lawyer husband to let her have a horse. Dean loved the horse to death, and as someone who bought and sold horses for clients all the time, it wasn't often that he bonded this closely with one. He was ecstatic when Sam and Jess presented him with Tom's registry papers stating he was now a part owner of the horse as an early Christmas present.

The horse whickered at him, trying to wrap his lips around Dean's fingers.

"No. No treats yet buddy, you gotta work first. You're mommy and uncle are coming to visit today, so you're bound to get spoiled. I bet Jess made you those molasses treats you love so much." He patted him on the neck fondly before heading down to the tack room. Opening the door, he almost ran into one of the grooms.

"Whoa, watch it Chuck!" He said, stepping back so the other man could step out.

"Oh hey Dean! Sorry. What are you doing here?" Chuck asked as he closed the door and faced Dean.

"I got a couple clients coming out today to watch horses work. Forgot Gabe was coming out today too, I need to talk to him about shoeing Zep up differently, he keeps throwing those damn shoes."

"Maybe we should start keeping bell boots on him at all times." The smaller man suggested before his face lit up, "Hey, you'll get to meet the new guy today at least."

"New guy?" Dean asked, confused.

"Yeah, the new riding instructor. He's actually Gabe and Jimmy's brother, at least that's what Ellen said."

"The one who was at Peeper Ranch*? Wow, I watched some of his riders at the World show, they were really good. I remember Ellen saying something about trying to hire him. Wonder how she managed to convince him to come out here."

"Did I just hear my favorite assistant trainer talking about me?" A light drawl came from behind Dean. Turning, he saw Ellen standing there, a sly smirk on her face and her arms crossed. There was a dark haired man standing behind her.

"Of course I'm your favorite; I'm your only assistant trainer. But yeah, you caught me. Can't help that you're the best boss ever." Dean gave her a cheeky grin.

"What did you do now? Brown nosing doesn't suit you Dean, and you only ever suck up to me when you've broken something." She playfully punched him in the arm.

"Didn't break anything. I was just trying to sweeten you up before I asked you to deal with Zachariah when he shows up. I'm already going to be dealing with Bela. And you kinda owe me, you've been pushing him off on me the last couple times he's been here."

"That's cause I'm the head trainer, you're supposed to deal with the stuff I don't want to, sweetie." She joked as she stepped aside and motioned to the man behind her, "This is Castiel Novak, he's our new riding instructor."

Dean had to stop himself from gawking. The man's was absolutely gorgeous, and looked extremely familiar. His face was strong yet soft at the same time, framed by short, messy dark hair. His eyes are what had Dean going coocoo for Cocoa Puffs however. They were such an intense shade of blue it was like looking into tropical waters. He recovered enough to reach forward and shake the man's offered hand.

"Dean Winchester, I'm the assistant trainer as you probably already figured out. If you need any help with anything, let me know." He introduced himself, giving his signature 'lady-killer' grin. Castiel smiled back shyly, nodding his head.

"Well, come on Castiel, I'll show you were the lesson tack room and ready area are." Ellen chirped, waving to the two men as she led Castiel away. Dean's eyes followed them, taking in how the new instructor's ass looked perfect in the jod pants he was wearing.

"Since when are you gay, again?" Chuck asked jokingly, "I thought you were into women lately."

Dean cuffed him upside the head lightly. "Since neither Anna nor Lisa worked out and Bela hasn't given up her crusade to get in my pants in all the wrong ways. Women are scary dude, I'm done with 'em." He said as he entered the tack room to grab his grooming supplies. Emerging, he walked with Chuck down the aisle to the grooming area.

"So who do you want first?" The groom asked, looking at the white board with all of Dean's training horses listed on it.

"Well, it's almost nine now, so Gabe should be here soon. Why don't you take Ruby out and lunge* the crap out of her so she doesn't try to kill him when he trims her hooves. And remind me to tranq her this time too."

"That is an excellent idea, Dean-O" A cheerful voice accompanied the opening of the garage door next to the groom stalls. A short man with light brown hair and honey colored eyes stood there smiling.

"Well check this smug bastard out." Dean greeted the man, "What's new Gabriel?"

"Not much, oddly enough. So I hear little Cas starts work today. I haven't seen him since you lot dragged me down to Oklahoma for the World show." Gabriel conversed as he opened his farrier trailer and started bringing equipment in. After strapping on his farrier chaps, he clapped his hands together, "Alright, who's my first victim of the day?"

Dean shook his head at the strange fellow, "Zep first, he keeps throwing his shoes so I'm thinking you should work your mojo and make it so he doesn't do that anymore. And try to make it quick, Bela is supposed to be here around two which means she'll be here before noon."

"On it Boss man, but I'm not a groom, so go fetch me thine steed."

Rolling his eyes, Dean turned and headed down the aisle. As he approached the stallion's stall, he saw a small group of people gathered in front of a stall across the aisle. Smiling he walked up to them.

"So what, is there a family reunion going on here today or something?" He joked as the Novak family turned to greet him.

"Dean!" Their daughter Claire exclaimed gleefully, rushing up and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hey there Calamity, here for a lesson I take it?" He asked, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders and squeezing.

"Yeah, and Uncle Cas is going to be doing them from now on! It's so cool!" The girl released Dean and went back to halter her mare, Fancy. Her parents smiled at him as he moved to grab Zep.

"Damn Jimmy, I didn't realize you were a twin." He addressed the dark haired man as Claire and his wife, Amelia, took the mare out of her stall and led her down the aisle. Jimmy smiled broadly at him.

"Yeah, doesn't come up that often anymore since Cas has been living on the other side of the country for awhile now. Oh, and if he says anything about being the eldest of us, that's a load of bull."

"Huh. Well, sorry to say, but he's definitely the better looking of you two, by far. So what was he doing west side before he was at Peeper?" Dean opened the stall door with the name plate stating the horse's name was **Talbot's Led Zeppelin**. He slowly approached the tall stallion inside.

"He went to the University of Oregon for a bit, something to do with political science or something. He started working in some local barns to earn a bit of extra cash. One of the trainers out there from an 'A' circuit barn hired him after watching some of this students ride at an open show*. He made his way through a couple Arabian and Saddlebred barns over the years before ending up at Peeper Ranch."

"Wow." Dean grunted as he wrestled the stallion's head into the halter, "Knock it off!" He sternly ordered the horse, who stood still long enough for him to slip a lead shank over his nose.

"Somebody's feisty today." Jimmy commented, getting out of the way as Dean lead the prancing stallion out. Dean stopped him and set him up so he could inspect his hooves quickly.

"Zep, dude, you're damn lucky you didn't take any foot off with those shoes." He told the horse before he started walking again and addressed Jimmy, "Bastard threw a front shoe working the other day, So I haven't been able to get him out. Threw the other one in his stall at some point last night too."

"What a dick." Jimmy chuckled.

"Yeah, he's just lucky he's a freaking cool horse, otherwise I'd have him gelded in a hot minute."

"Do mine ears deceive me or am I hearing little brother Jimmy?" Gabriel asked as the two men and horse approached. The brothers embraced each other quickly as Dean put Zep in the cross-ties.

"Hurry up and fix this horse up and I'll let you go watch your niece get her first lesson from her other uncle." Dean said as he put a Chifney bit* in the horse's mouth and attached it to the halter.

"Yes, Masta'. Right away, Masta'." Gabe joked as he grabbed his hoof stand and walked up to the horse.

"Dude, that is not funny." Dean tried not to laugh as he watched the horse chomp on the bit.

"Aw, C'mon. It's a little funny." Gabriel grunted as he picked up a hoof and inspected it before slipping it through his legs, gripping it with his knees, and cleaning out the underside with his hoof knife, "You want the same length of foot, right?"

"Yeah, he's been doing good with the weight of the shoe too. You just need to make it so he doesn't get them off every other week."

"I'll just put some bands on the ones he's got. That work for you?"

"Sounds good. You need any help with this beast, get Jo to help you, she's around here somewhere." Dean told the farrier as he started walking away.

"What? You're leaving me? But I thought we had something special!" Gabe called after him.

"Eh, I'm more interested in your other brother now. I'm going to make the one next to you ride his horse right now, however. He hasn't done that in a couple weeks." Dean answered as he walked backwards down the aisle. He heard Jimmy groan while Gabe chuckled. There was an indignant huff from behind him and he spun around quickly. Jo was standing face-to-face with him.

"Mind watching where you're going at all?" She asked irritably. Dean's eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows arching.

"There's good coffee in the office you know, go grab a mug before you bite any client's heads off by accident."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "That's where I was headed. What are you doing here today anyways?"

"couple of the clients are dropping by. And Gabe's here, he might need some help with Zep when he goes to nail his shoes back on."

"Why aren't you doing it, he's your training horse." She pouted, crossing her arms in a creepily similar fashion as her mother.

"I'm gonna make Jimmy ride since he's here." Dean smirked as he continued walking.

"Let me know when you're ready, I haven't seen Jimmy ride in forever!" Jo laughed as she returned to her quest for caffeine.

Dean made his way to the part of the barn reserved for horses in partial-training*. He approached the stall with a name plate that informed him that the horse inside was named Scooter. The horse was standing at the back of the stall with his butt towards the door. When the door opened, he turned his head to look back at Dean.

"Well come on, Mr. Grumpy Pants. Your Grandpa is going to ride you today." Dean told the horse, who slowly turned around and walked up to the trainer. After slipping on the halter and attaching the leadrope to the bottom, he led the old gelding out of the stall and down to the grooming area. Jimmy helped him attach the cross-ties to the halter before picking up a brush and grooming the horse. Dean left to go grab the horse's bridle and Jimmy's saddle from the client tack room. When he returned, Zep was gone and Gabe was inspecting Scooter's feet.

"Jo took Zep back to his stall." Gave said before Dean could ask. Nodding, Dean hung the bridle up before throwing the saddle pad over Scooter's back and setting the cutback saddle*on him.

"What the hell am I doing? Jimmy, tack your own damn horse up." He said, moving to stand next to Gabriel.

"Damn, so close." Jimmy joked in a mournful tone before putting the rest of the tack on the gelding. Grabbing the reins, he started leading the horse towards the arena while Dean, Gabe and Jo followed him out. They passed the grooming area where the lesson horses got ready. Claire was there, finishing tacking up Fancy while Amelia and Castiel were off to the side talking.

"Dad, you riding too?" The girl asked excitedly.

"Nah. I'm just practicing my groom skills for show season. Dean said something about showing Scooty in the open park saddle division* this year." He joked, stopping in front of her.

"Dad! Scooty can't trot that high!"

"He will after I'm finished with him." Gabriel boasted before turning to Castiel and Amelia, "Hey Ames, what's up? Cas, get over here and give your big bros a hug!"

Castiel laughed softly before walking up and getting smothered by Gabe. Dean took a hold of Scooter so Jimmy could say hello properly.

"It's good to see you Jimmy." Castiel greeted his twin. Dean noted that his voice was lower and a lot gruffer than Jimmy's.

"Good to see you too Cas, It's been awhile. Don't know if Ames said anything yet, but we're kidnapping you and Gabe tomorrow night for a family diner." Jimmy informed him as he pulled out of their embrace.

"Yes, Amelia mentioned it. Though she didn't use those exact terms."

"Hate to be a party pooper, cause you know how much I love parties," Dean interrupted, glancing at his watch, "But unless you want your brother giving you a lesson, we need to start riding. I've got a schedule to keep."

"You? Schedule? Now that's funny." Jo teased. Dean made a face at her, which she returned.

"Let's see which Novak is the better rider." He called over his shoulder as he led Scooter to the arena.

"Oh it's on, little girl!" He heard Jimmy tell Claire, to which the young girl replied with, "Bring it, old man!"

**Well, how was it? Good? Bad? Confusing? Let me know if you want more or if I should stop.**

**Dictionary**

Peeper Ranch**:** Is a real-life multi-million dollar farm that has really good horses. Google it, it's insane.

Lunge**:** Exercising a horse on a long rope. The horse runs in a circle while the person holding the rope stands in the center.

Shows: There are varying levels of competition when showing a horse. Fun and open shows are the lowest level and are open to all breeds. 'A' circuit shows are sanctioned by a breed's organization, and is the division you compete in if you plan on showing at the World Championship show.

Chifney bit**:** A ring with a flat side that goes in the horse's mouth and is used to occupy the mouth and can be used to discourage rearing.

Partial-training: Full time training horses are typically worked 5-6 days a week by the trainers, when in partial-training, the trainers will only work with the horse 2-3 times a week and the owner is responsible for working the horse the rest of the time.

Cutback Saddle: A type of English saddle that has a completely flat skirt. You might want to Google it to get a better idea of what one looks like.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hehehe, hi there... I know, I'm a horrible person for never updating this sooner. And you'd think I would, since this is pretty much my life, the whole horse thing. Anyways, it's here now! Enjoy! I'll try not to take another year to get the next chapter out. ****  
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"Get your heels down and to slow her down a smidge." Castiel called from the center of the arena. Claire followed his instructions, correcting her leg position and slowing Fancy's jog down.

"Good girl! Now try and get her to tip her head down a little bit… Perfect!"

"Sit your ass back Jimmy!" Dean yelled from the end of the arena where he stood outside of the ring with Gabriel, Ellen, Jo and Amelia. Jimmy managed to flip the bird at him as he trotted past.

"Uncalled for! There are minors in the vicinity. Get your hands up!"

"Jimmy boy, your daughter is riding the pants off of you, on a western horse. You gonna take that?" Gabe harassed his younger brother.

"I hate you all soooo much!" Jimmy shouted back over his shoulder from the far side of the ring and he asked Scooter to walk. After a few steps he cued the gelding to canter.

"I'm making Amelia buy that poor horse a six inch foam pad. Stop bouncing in the saddle!" Shouted Dean, winking at Amelia to show he was only joking.

"If he ends up needing chiropractic work done, you can pay for it out of your pocket." She informed her husband, a small grin on her face as she joined in the teasing.

Stopping Scooter in the center of the ring, Jimmy turned in the saddle and gaped at his wife, "Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!"

At that, everyone in the arena started laughing, including Castiel. Jimmy let go of his reins, trusting Scooter not to takeoff, and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Oh that's it, you guys suck. Cas, I'm only going to listen to you now."

"It's thirty dollars for an hour lesson." Castiel told him straight faced.

"But I'm your twin!"

"Make it fifty then." He smiled broadly up at his brother. Everyone laughed again and Dean found himself enthralled with Castiel's smile. Jo elbowed him hard in the ribs, making him wince.

"Wipe your chin, you're drooling." She teased in a whisper. Dean pushed her off the stool she was standing on before returning his attention to the arena.

"So you just gonna quit then, that it Jimmy?" He jibbed, pulling himself up to sit on the edge of the rail.

"I'm not giving up, I'm just going to take up jousting and knock you off that ledge."

"Ouch man, kinda harsh." Chuckled Dean just as Chuck came rushing into the arena looking flustered.

"I, uh, Zachariah is here." He panted just as an older, balding man in a suit walked in behind him.

"I thought I paid you people to train my horses," He stated curtly, "Not to sit around and gossip like a bunch of housewives."

"Zachariah, you're early." Ellen Greeted the client with false cheer, "And you know your horses get the weekends off, since you normally come watch them work during the week."

"They're beasts of burden, Ellen, they don't need days off." He held his hand up to stop the trainer from responding, "Regardless, I'm only here to see my foal crop, I'd like to start figuring out what's worth keeping and what to get rid of."

"Well, most of them are already out to pasture since you wanted them foaled early this year. We'll take the Gator* out. Remember, you need to keep in mind that they've been outside for the last couple weeks and are looking rough." Ellen's voice trailed off as she led Zachariah out of the arena. Only when the rest of the crew heard the Gator's motor start up did they relax.

"Douche." Dean and Jo said together.

"Who was that?" Castiel asked as he walked up to the arena wall and leaned against it.

"Zachariah Milton, the world's biggest dick. I honestly don't know why he has show horses. He expects them all to be park horses, and doesn't know jack shit about who to breed to what but still has at least ten foals every year." Dean explained, using his knife to trim the fringe off the bottom of his pants as he talked.

"If he's such a bad client, why not ask him to leave?" Asked Castiel as he exited the ring with Claire and Fancy along with Jimmy and Scooter. The group followed them back to the grooming area.

"You're used to working for mainly family owned stables, right?" Jo asked the instructor, who nodded.

"Unlike those fine establishments, all our business comes from outside clients. Bobby, the guy who owns this place, had to sell all of his good horses so he could pay the medical bills after his wife got real sick. So the handful of horses he has left are just his favorites, who are retired and out to pasture. And unfortunately for us, Zachariah is our biggest client. He's got ten horses in training and about fifteen brood mares that he keeps boarded here year round. He knows we can't make it for long without the amount of money that he pays each month. So he tries to throw his weight around and we gotta do what he wants done to a degree, otherwise we can't stay in business. It's annoying really, but that's the industry for ya, the idiots seem to have all the money and the kind of clients you want around are the ones who can't go to many horse shows cause they don't have enough money." Dean explained to Castiel as he leaned against the wall of one of the grooming stalls while Claire untacked Fancy.

"I see." Castiel stated flatly, "He sounds… Lovely."

Everyone chuckled at his comment.

"Don't worry man, you shouldn't have to deal with him at all. He could care less about learning how to handle his horses." Chuck informed Castiel before continuing on a different subject, "Oh, and Dean, Andy Marlett called-"

"I already told him no."

"What? I thought you wanted to get rid of that Pardon My French* mare."

"Oh! Uh, I was thinking about something else… When did he want to come out? Was he interested in any other horses?"

"Yeah, he was thinking next week some time and wanted to look at any other western horses you had for sale. Wait, what were _you_ talking about?"

"Oh, he asked you out, didn't he?" Gabriel deduced all while trying not to crack up at the idea, "When'd he ask? I must know these things Winchester!"

Dean groaned as everyone seemed to crowd in on him, "He asked at Oklahoma, ok? I was still with Lisa then, so I said no. Plus, he's not anywhere near my type. Now drop it."

"You're bi?" Castiel asked innocently.

"He's in denial." Jimmy stage whispered to his twin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bristled Dean.

"Think about it, your longest relationship was with Michael but you've never had a relationship with a woman for more than three month. So let's get both feet out of the closet there Dean-o."

"Screw you Jimmy."

"Kinky, but I don't swing that way. I'll refer you to my wife and daughter for reference." The client informed the trainer with a grin. Claire groaned and mumbled something about not needing to hear any of what was just said. Everyone laughed.

The group moved on in the conversation as Jimmy and Claire finished untacking their horses and brushed them down. Father and daughter took Scooter and Fancy back to their stalls while everyone else made their way to the main barn. Gabriel and Jo went back to work on hoeing and trimming horses and Castiel followed them to hang out till his next lesson showed up. Jimmy's family announced their departure before they headed out, and Dean somehow got pulled into the Novak's hugging fest of farewell.

Walking away and shaking his head, Dean went and got Tommy, taking his time and sweet talking the young stallion as he put his halter and lead on. He unhooked the belly and leg straps on the sheet the stud had on and pulled it off, leaving it sitting in the grain bucket in the corner. Opening the stall door all the way, Dean led his horse down the aisle, the young horse striding next to him leisurely. As they approached the ready area, he saw a tall man with shaggy hair standing next to a pretty blond.

"Hey bitch, 'bout time you came to visit your horse." He teased the man, leading Tom into the crossties and securing him.

"Shut-up, jerk." The tall man retorted playfully.

"How've you been Sammy?" Dean asked with a smile, reaching forward to clap his bigger little brother on the back.

"Busy, got a huge case on my plate right now." Sam said as he put his hand out for Tommy to nuzzle.

"That's what you say every time I see you." Chided Dean as he began to brush the young stallion.

"You're telling me." The blond, Sam's wife Jess, agreed.

"That's because the firm keeps giving me bigger and bigger cases." Defended Sam, crossing his arms stubbornly across his chest. Both Dean and Jess laughed at him.

"I had to drag him here by his hair to get him to take a break." Supplied Jess as she picked up a small soft brush and lovingly smoothed it over Tommy's face. The young stud's eyes drooped in pleasure as he leaned his forehead against her chest, earning a soft laugh from her.

"Thought it looked like his hair had a fist in it recently. Wasn't going to ask though, I have a feeling you guys have a kinky side to ya." Joked Dean, quickly shuffling out of his brother's reach before heading to the tack room to grab a bridle and saddle.

Returning with his tack, he noted that Chuck had wrapped Tommy's legs with polo wraps* for him. The groom was chatting with Sam and Jess while he got another of Dean's training horses ready to work. Hanging the bridle on a hook, Dean shifted the saddle onto his hip. He tossed the saddle pad* over Tom's back, arranging it quickly before lifting the saddle up and gently setting it on his back. Reaching under the horse's belly, he grabbed the girth* and cinched*it up snuggly.

Grabbing up the bridle, he let it slide down his arm towards his elbow as he reached up to unhook the left crosstie on Tommy's halter. Wrapping an arm around the top of his neck, Dean undid the halter and let it fall to the ground. Careful not to move too fast and spook the young horse, Dean pulled the bridle up the colt's face, releasing his neck to guide the bit up to Tommy's mouth. The colt obediently opened his mouth, allowing the snaffle* to slip in. He finished pulling the bridle over Tom's ears and fastening the throat latch*. Dean gathered up his wild forelock, playing with it till it was hanging straight down Tommy's face.

"Anyone coming to watch the World Champion at work, make your way to the arena!" He announced as he grabbed the reins and started leading Tommy out towards the arena.

Entering the ring, he turned to shut the gate, only to see Castiel doing it for him. He smiled his thanks to the instructor, who shyly returned it. Sam and Jess, followed by Gabriel, came in to stand along the fence line and watch.

Leading the colt further into the arena, Dean halted him before throwing the reins over his shoulder and tightening the cinch before he got on. Satisfied, he tossed the reins over Tommy's neck. He lifted his foot and put it in the stirrup before pulling himself up and over onto his back. Putting his loose foot in the other stirrup, he shifted his weight back and forth, making sure the saddle wouldn't slide at all.

"Ride 'em cowboy!" Shouted Gabriel as Dean picked up the reins and started turning the colt from side to side, loosening his muscles.

Dean didn't bother dignifying the farrier's comment with a response, instead focusing on his horse. He squeezed Tommy's side with his right calf as he held the reins against his neck, directing him towards the rail of the ring. Tom gave to the bit and dropped his head and neck down before Dean even asked him. Dean murmured a small praise to him before he clucked his tongue softly and asked him to jog.

The young stallion slowly pranced around the ring. Every so often, Dean would have to correct Tommy's speed or headset, but Dean was very proud of the four year old. This was what Dean lived for, working with a horse who was both talented and good minded.

He didn't pay attention to the chatter by the gate, so when Sam's voice shouted at him, he pulled Tom to a sliding halt.

"What?" He demanded.

"Your phone keeps ringing and it's annoying." Sam told him plainly.

Dean made a face at his brother, "I thought I taught you better, it's the Jaw's theme! I swear we're not even related sometimes."

Letting Tommy walk towards the gate, Dean pulled out his phone, knowing who it was just by the ringtone. He groaned loudly regardless, pulling Tommy to a halt before answering it.

"Y'ello." He tried for a pleasant tone.

"_Hello Dean." A distinctly British voice returned._

"Bela, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Sarcasm snuck into his voice.

"_Just calling to let you know I'm not going to be able to make it today, something came up back home." Bela drawled on, "I don't think I'll be making it back any time soon, either."_

"Oh, that's a shame." Dean said flatly, rolling his eyes.

"_Isn't it just though? Maybe you'd like to come with me? All expenses paid. You work so hard always, you could do with a vacation."_

"That's very sweet of you, but show season starts in two weeks if you recall." He cringed at the thought of being alone, overseas, with her.

"_Oh, that's right." She said with disinterest, "Tell you what, you take any of my horses to any show you want, even if it's just to work them. Just send me the bill."_

"That's very generous of you. I'll take you up on that. Maybe we'll have some of the younger ones ready to show by the end of the season then."

"_That would be fabulous. I'll call and let you know when I'm back in the country. We'll have to go out to dinner then."_

"Uh, ok. Um, I should go now, I'm in the middle of working a four year old, so…"

"_Oh, of course. Good-bye Dean." _The connection ended and Dean sighed in relief.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Dean sat on Tom's back doing nothing for a moment. Then he crowed loudly, pumping a fist in the air. Tommy didn't appreciate that. The colt spooked, tucking his butt underneath him before taking off. Dean shouted in surprise, scrambling to pick up the reins as the horse started bucking. He could hear Gabriel and everyone else laughing over the blood rushing in his ears.

"Check out that little bronco! Whoo! Twenty bucks says he falls off!"

With an angry growl, Dean focused on getting the stallion under control. It took a few minutes, but Tommy finally settled down and Dean put him back to work like nothing had happened. Twenty minutes later he dismounted, patting the colt's sweaty neck before pulling the reins off and leading him back to the gate. Castiel opened it for him and walked next to him as they headed back to the ready area.

"You're a very good rider." The instructor commented, "Even though your posture could use some work."

"Uh, thanks." Dean replied stupidly. Cas smiled at him quickly before moving away to say hello to his next lesson group that was waiting for him.

Dean took Tom back and untacked him. He threw a cooler on him and left him to stand and cool off while he talked to Sam and Jess for awhile. After they left, he put Tommy back in his stall before going about working the rest of his horses and telling Gabriel how he wanted certain horses shoed. Between all of that, he managed to take the time to go watch Castiel teach s couple lessons.

He was good. Really good, actually. He was able to instruct the kids on how to correct their horses using simple, easy to understand words without even having to flounder about for them like Dean usually found himself doing with inexperienced riders. He left the arena before Cas' current lesson ended, heading back to put the last horse he worked away.

As he was putting the mare's sheet back on, Jo came up to him.

"So?" She asked.

"What?"

"You come up with any ideas for 'initiating' Castiel into the barn crew?" She clarified.

"You know, I kinda forgot about that. Been awhile since we got a new guy."

"Well think about it. He's got two more lessons for today." With that she walked away to do whatever it was she did when she wasn't helping her mom with her horses.

Dean got to thinking about it while he walked the mare down to her stall and let her loose. He decided to do a last check on his training horses while he thought. He didn't want to do anything too mean, seeing as Castiel seemed pretty nice and was, admittedly, really hot. Not that Dean was going to act on that any time soon. He didn't want to come off as a creeper or anything.

As he finished checking one of the geldings, an excited voice reached him.

"Hey Dean!" A young, dark haired boy ran towards him.

Dean smiled at him, "Heya Ben, how've you been buddy?"

"Good. Jo said there's a new lesson guy."

"Yup. I think you'll like him. Your mom around?"

"Yeah, she's coming. You know who I'm riding today?" Ben asked, practically bouncing.

"I think you're on Chevy, but go check the lesson board and double check." He watched the kid scurry off down the aisle. Turning ack, he saw a woman with long dark hair walking up to him.

"Hey Lisa."

"Hi Dean." She murmured softly as she watched her son going down the aisle. They were quiet for a moment.

"So how've you been?" He finally forced himself to ask.

"Alright. What are you doing here today, I thought you normally have off?"

He winced internally, realizing that she'd switched Ben's lessons to a day he wasn't normally around on, "Had some out of town clients drop in. Decided to work a couple other horses while I was here."

"Oh, ok then. Well, I'm going to go help Ben get his horse ready now." With that she started moving away.

"Good seeing you." He said off handedly.

"Yeah…"

"That was awkward." Said a voice from behind Dean. He spun around and saw Chuck standing there watching Lisa walking away. Obviously feeling that Dean didn't want to talk about it, he changed the subject, "Think of anything to do to Castiel yet?"

Dean started moving down the line of stalls again before answering, "Not yet, working on it."

Chuck followed him down the aisle, helping to check the horses. Dean stopped in front of a stall and looked in at the horse residing there. He got a stupid grin on his face.

"Got it." He told Chuck. The groom came up next to him and peered in at the horse.

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"I don't know, seems a little mean. I mean, we don't even know how good a rider he is."

"He worked at Peeper, they don't hire anyone who can't ride. Besides, I want to see how Zep's looking. Ellen is the only one who will ride him apart from me." Zep snorted at them from the back of his stall. Grabbing the halter and shank lead, he went in the stall and collected the stallion for the second time that day. Chuck helped Dean get him cleaned and tacked. They explained the plan to Jo when she stopped by to see what they were doing.

Once Zep was ready, he led the prancing horse towards the arena. Chuck went to grab Castiel and Jo. When the others finally came in, Cas was looking rather confused.

Dean grinned obnoxiously, "So here's the deal Cas, "He started as they came into the ring, "We have a little tradition of sorts here to see what our new employees are made of." Zeppelin tossed his head impatient with having to stand so long.

"Um, ok?" Castiel was obviously still very confused by what was happening.

"So, I don't know if you recognize this fella at all, but this is Talbot's Led Zeppelin, or Zep as we call him." Dean explained.

"He was the Junior Pleasure Driving Champion at New England* two years ago, right?"

"Yes sir. And right now, you're gonna ride him."

"Um, are, are you sure? You don't think his owner will mind?"

"She pretty much gave me free reign over her horses earlier today. Besides, you work here now, it's fine. Now get on the damn horse before he gets pissed off." Dean groused as he made the stallion park out so Castiel could get on.

Without further hesitation, Castiel moved next to Zep, expertly gather the reins as he quickly put his foot in the stirrup and gracefully pulled himself up and swung a leg over the horse's back in a matter of seconds. For which Dean was grateful, seeing as he was having to hold Zep back from taking off while Castiel situated himself. Avoiding the inevitable blowup, Dean let the stallion walk forward after Castiel got both feet in the stirrups, but kept a hold of the bridle.

"Ok, so as soon as I let him go, let him trot right away. You're not going to get him to walk and come away alive for the next ten or so minutes." Instructed Dean as he continued walking Zep while Cas arranged his reins to the proper positions, "Let me know when you're good."

"Ready." Castiel said immediately, completely calm and collected.

"Whatever you do, don't fall off. He hates it when people fall off." And with that Dean let go of the bridle and back pedaled a few steps. Zep immediately took off trotting, causing Castiel to, well, squeak in alarm at the sudden action.

"I told you!" Dean laughed, making his way to the center of the ring where Jo and Chuck were standing.

It took almost a whole lap of the ring, but Castiel managed to get over his shock of Zep's initial take off. He began by trying to get the horse to set his head, which Dean thought was a good idea, but the wrong horse to do it on.

"Unless you want to piss him off, don't bother with a headset yet!" He called out, "Just work on slowing him down for now."

Castiel followed his instruction and Zep's break neck road trot* began to slow down ever so slightly. Dean watched with a critical eye, which was to say he was checking out Castiel while he was sure the instructor's attention was focused on the handful of a horse he was riding. He could get used to what he was seeing, very used to it, Dean decided.

Something flicked him painfully in the ear. He flinched and grabbed at it, spinning around and catching Jo withdrawing her hand.

"The hell?"

"Focus. Instruct the instructor so your horse doesn't kill him. I'd hate to have to have you or mom teaching lessons again till we find another instructor."

Dean growled at her before returning his attention to the horse and rider, concentrating more on how Castiel was riding rather than the actual man himself. His form was perfect; his heels down, legs stretched, upper body straight with his shoulders back. His hands were perfectly still despite how hard Dean knew Zep was pulling on the bridle.

"Alright Cas, that's his warm-up, time to put him to work." Dean's voice was raised so Castiel would hear him over the horse's loud breathing, "To get his head set, just push him into that bridle, but don't let him get any faster."

Castiel's fingers wiggled once on the reins as he clucked. Zep's nose instantly dropped down and his neck came further up and back. Dean whistled low, impressed with how quick Castiel had gotten the horse into a proper headset.

"Somebody's got magic hands." He heard Chuck say, nodding absently in agreement.

Castiel continued to trot Zep around the ring for a good while, and Dean only had to throw out a few suggestions to him before telling him to ask the horse to walk.

"Now, put your hands forward a little and sweet talk the sucker, otherwise he'll refuse to flat foot walk." Instructed Dean while Castiel brought the horse down to a walk.

"You call this a flat foot walk?" Castiel accused as Zep jigged in slow motion underneath him.

"As close as you'll get with him today." Dean defended, "Now, he anticipates like a mofo, so keep his head turned to the inside a little till you're ready to do the C-word. Make sure to hold onto your ass, cause he rears up a little before he takes off. Don't let him get his nose out either, otherwise you're screwed until you change directions. So whenever you're ready, Cas, go ahead and ask him to canter."

Zep's head swung towards the rail at Dean's last words and his front feet both came up in the air. The horse launched himself into the canter. Dean, Jo and Chuck all let out a laugh when the instructor yelped in surprise. Dean choked out a quick apology, but couldn't stop laughing.

To Castiel's credit though, he didn't let the stud lose his headset at all. They continued around the ring for a few laps before Dean called for a halt and had them go the other way of the ring. They repeated the work out the second direction*. After about 20 minutes, Dean had Castiel bring Zep to a halt in the middle of the ring, where the barn crew was standing.

Parking out, Zep stood huffing and drenched in sweat. Dean walked up and patted the stud on his neck, pushing the horse's face away when he tried to rub on him. Castiel dismounted gracefully with a big grin on his face.

"That was fun." He told Dean as he put his stirrups up.

"He likes you. A lot." Dean said, surprised, "Might have to have you show him. Never seen him behave like that for someone riding him for the first time."

"Show? Him?" Castiel was clearly shocked.

"Yeah. Didn't Ellen say anything about possibly needing you to show a few times, since we have so many open* horses this year?" Asked Dean as he grabbed Zep's reins and began leading him out of the arena. The gate was already open from Jo and Chuck already leaving.

"Yes, but I suppose I didn't think it would be a horse of this caliber."

"I'll have you ride him a few more times to be sure he likes you, he's been known to be good one day and a complete ass the next, but if you're gonna be a better match for him than me, why wouldn't I have you show him instead?" Dean was trying to figure out what Castiel was getting at.

Castiel just shrugged, "Some trainers I've worked with don't care. They don't want anybody else, even their lesson instructors, showing their show horses."

"Ah, I get ya. Always thought that was stupid. Here we try to focus on what's best for the horse and not worry about our egos. Or the egos of our clients, like Zachariah." Dean explained, walking Zep into the ready area.

"Ellen said something similar earlier." Castiel agreed, "It will be a nice change from what I've had to deal with over the years."

"Give a few weeks." Joked Dean as he picked Zep's halter up from the ground, "But no, seriously, I hope you decide to stick around for awhile, get to know you and stuff."

"Me too." Castiel agreed softly as Dean was pulling Zep's bridle off. Halfway through the action, it struck Dean what he had just said and then how Castiel had replied. The resulting pause in his motions allowed for Zep to toss his head and escape Dean's grasp.

"Son of a bitch!" Growled Dean, as the stallion scrambled backwards, "Knock it off!"

The horse cowered in the corner of the ready stall, his back end squatted down, almost sitting. Dean approached the stallion, raising his hands slowly as he got close, the halter ready in one hand. Zep snorted loudly at him.

"Really?" He scoffed at the horse as he stepped up next to him and slipped the halter on. Grabbing the bottom of the halter, Dean started to lead Zep forward again, only to have the horse try and pull back.

"Oh get over yourself and get your ass up here!" Dean yelled at him, jerking on the halter to reprimand the horse's behavior. They stood for a moment before Zep relaxed and walked forward when Dean tugged on the halter.

"Thank you." The trainer exasperated, as he hooked the crossties to the halter, "Maybe if you started thinking with your upstairs brain more often, I wouldn't have to yell at you so much. Ever think of that?"

There was a soft laugh from behind him. Dean turned and saw Castiel still standing there. He raised a questioning eyebrow at him, "Problem?"

"No. Just the way you talk to your horses, it's kind of cute."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Cute? I may be many things, but cute is not one of them."

"My apologies." Castiel's tone and face were serious.

Dean pursed his lips in mock-thought, "Tell you what I am though; Adorable."

Castiel looked up at him, clearly amused, "Adorable, huh?"

"Yes sir." Dean replied happily as he finished untacking Zep. Castiel shook his head at him as he picked up a towel and started rubbing Zep down with it. Dean gathered his tack and took it down to the tack room to put away.

When he got back to the ready area (after having taken a call from another trainer asking about horses for sale), Check was taking care of Zep and Jo was starting to feed diner the horses at the far end of the barn. Castiel had vanished somewhere, much to Dean's disappointment. He said good-bye to the grooms and headed to the training office. To his pleasant surprise, Castiel was in the room looking over the wall displaying some of the barn's world championship plaques and roses.

"Hey, thought you left or something."

"Oh, no, not yet. Thought I'd take a look around since you were taking so long to get back." Castiel turned to face him.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Some trainer form out west called about a horse we have for sale."

"Figured it was something like that."

Silence fell awkwardly between them as Castiel went back to looking at the awards on the walls and Dean made a few notes on the white board. Grabbing his coffee mug and keys from the table he'd left them on that morning, he headed for the door. Halfway there he stopped and turned back to Castiel.

"Hey, so, uh, Cas, I, uh, we: Chuck, Gave and me, head out to a bar every Tuesday unless we're getting ready for a horse show. You can come hang out with us, uh, if you want that is." Dean mentally kicked himself. -_Way to act like a love struck teenager there Winchester_- he thought.

Castiel looked thoughtful for a second before the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, "I'd like that. I have lessons that night, but the last one is scheduled for 7. I should be able to meet you guys wherever around 9, if that's alright."

"Sounds good. Well, I'm gonna head out then, gotta get home and see what damage the dog did to my place in retribution for leaving him home alone today. See ya Tuesday night if I don't see you before then."

"I look forward to it."

Dean turned back to the door and headed out of the barn. Getting his car, he sat for a moment, contemplating the day's events. All he could clearly think about was Castiel's stunning blue eyes, wild hair and inviting lips. Shaking his head at himself, he put the key in the ignition.

"You got it bad for the new guy, Winchester. Don't even know if he's straight or gay even. Ugh, why do I do this to myself." He said out loud as he started his baby and put her in reverse before pulling away from the barn.

**Dictionary**

Pardon My French: RJM Pardon My French is a World Champion Morgan stallion. Most people in the industry leave off the prefix when talking about him, cause we're lazy like that.

Polo wraps: They're just long rolls of material that are usually 4 inches wide and 9-12 feet long. We wrap them around horses' front legs to give support when working them.

Saddle pad: There are different types of saddle pads, but essentially they're used to pad the saddle, making it more comfortable for the horse's back.

Girth: It's the thing that goes under the horse's belly and holds the saddle on. Usually referred to as a chinch on western saddles.

Cinched: The act of tightening the chinch.

Snaffle: type of bit most commonly used with horses. It has a ring on either side and the mouth piece is jointed in the middle.

Throat latch: Part of the bridle that hooks under the horse's jaw to help keep the bridle on. It's also the term for the head meets the neck under the jaw.

New England: The New England Regional Championship horse show is the Morgan industry's second biggest show.

Road trot: It's faster than a normal trot, used for covering more ground when traveling in the olden days.

C-word: I tend to say 'C-word' when preparing the rider to ask the horse to canter. Amazingly enough, horses understand that certain words mean certain things, or at least the way the syllables sound for each cue sound. Sometimes we have to say other things when talking to the rider so the horse listens to the rider and not the instructor on the ground when asking for cues.

Ring directions: 1st direction of the ring is going counter clockwise and the 2nd direction we go clockwise.

Open division: Division open to all competitors; professionals, amateurs and junior exhibitors. The professionals are the ones who dominate this division, seeing as they can't compete in the amateur and junior exhibitor divisions.


End file.
